


I'll do whatever it takes, I'll make a million mistakes

by Fan637637



Series: When you smile, I fall apart - Lams [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: G. Wash is the President, M/M, White House!AU, alex is his adopted son, basically we're exactly where we left of so you need to read the first one in the series, it's George's reelection campaign, modern!AU, this is a sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-18 05:36:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10610355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fan637637/pseuds/Fan637637
Summary: George Washington has just announced his campaign for reelection.Sequel to the work 'When you smile, I fall apart' - read that first.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is! A short chapter to get the ball rolling, but they will hopefully be longer from here on out.

_“It is with my second letter to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives which reinstates me as your President,” George Washington took a deep breath before continuing, commanding the room and looking straight at the camera of the White House Press room, “that I announce my campaign for re-election. I will be running for a second term as President of the United States.”_

Alexander Hamilton opened his eyes to see the golden glow of sunlight penetrating through his curtains and dimly illuminating the room. He smiled softly as he felt the comforting weight of his boyfriend’s arm resting across his middle. He shifted carefully onto his side and took in the sight of John Laurens sleeping soundly. The man was genuinely beautiful and sometimes Alex didn’t understand how he’d gotten so lucky.

“Are you staring at me whilst I’m sleeping?” asked John with his eyes still closed, startling Alex.

“Uh, no?”

“Really? You don’t sound so sure.” John opened his eyes so that they were staring back at Alex with a twinkle and smiled.

“Did you know that the sun makes your freckles stand out?”

“Yes. I spent most of my childhood getting made fun of because of them. I know everything about them.”

“I don’t understand how people teased you for them. They’re fucking gorgeous. You’re fucking gorgeous. Honestly, J, those curls, that smiled, your slight Southern drawl, your abs, your freckles, your adorable love for turtles. Everything. I just love it all.”

“You’re fucking gorgeous too, you know? Your eyes are amazing. I think I could drown in them. And the way you bite your lip when you’re concentrating, and the way that when you get enthralled in a book, you mouth along as you read – yeah, you do – and your hair is always so soft? I don’t know how? And your body, baby girl. Jesus Christ I’m so lucky.”

“You make me happy, J. It sounds so damn cheesy, but no one has ever made me as happy as you do. Now, as much as I’m enjoying this, we have to get up. We’re heading out on the campaign trail at lunch.”

“Mm. Is this the last lay in we’re gonna have for a while?”

“Pretty much. Maybe after the primaries.”

“This is what I get for falling in love with the First Son of the United States, huh?”

“You got shot. I think you can manage to have a few late nights and early mornings.”

“And long-ass flights.”

“And long-ass flights,” repeated Alex, smiling fondly at John.

“I really need to start paying more attention to politics. I don’t even know who else is running.”

“This is what I get for falling in love with a photographer, huh? To be fair, I only really know about the democrats. I learnt last time round that there isn’t much point worrying about the Republicans until after the primaries. The main competition in the primaries is Congressman Charles Lee. He’s pretty Republican to be honest, but he believes in large Government and higher taxation of the rich, so he’s with us.”

“Right. When you say ‘pretty republican’?”

“I mean he’s voted against most of the LGBT+ related bills the Washington administration has put forward.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah. But it’s fine, George will crush him.”

John pushed himself up so that he was sitting against the headboard.

“I know one of the Republican candidates. Only because he’s been all over the news,” said John.

“Like I said, I haven’t been paying attention to the Republicans…”

“George King.”

“Shit! Really? What the fuck kind of experience does he have?”

“That’s why it’s been all over the news.”

“Well shit. I hate it when this happens. There are probably some fairly decent Republicans running, but no one will hear anything about them.”

 “Come on. Let’s not dwell.” John reached over to the nightstand and picked up his phone. “Wheels up in an hour and a half. Let’s get ready. You shower first, I’ll make pancakes.”

“You really are the best boyfriend in the world.”

“Because I make you food? Well, I’m glad to know I mean so much to you,” teased John.

“Oh shut up. You know I adore you.”

“Stop, you’re making me blush.”

Alex and John clambered into the car taking them to the airport and John could practically feel the excitement radiating off of Alex.

“You alright there?”

“Just, I love it, J. Being on the road again and all that jazz. It was honestly the greatest experience of my life last time.”

“Well I’m glad you’re excited. Angelica looked ready to kill someone.”

“She’s only with us for events and stuff. She gets to spend the trip to the airport in a coach with the press corps, and then gets to spend the flight with them as well.”

“Right. What exactly is happening today?”

“We’re headed to Illinois. The primaries focus mainly on going to typically democratic states.”

“Right.”

“This is what I want to do, you know? I can’t be President, but I want to run a campaign, work in the White House. I don’t know who it will be, but I’m going to get someone into that White House, just you wait.”

“I believe you.” As John stared at the look of determination on Alex's face, he really did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone notice anything about the bit after George's announcement???
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> PayPal: catletley@gmail.om


	2. Chapter 2

“I’ll see you all soon!” George Washington waved goodbye to his campaign team, as well as John and Alex, as he stepped back on to Air Force 1 to fly back to the White House.

“Being the President is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to elections,” mused Alex. “He gets a ton of free press coverage because he’s the President, but also he doesn’t get to spend as much time on the campaign trail himself, because, well, he’s the President.”

The Washington campaign was two weeks in and things were going well. Congressman Lee was struggling to win over the democrats due to more conservative beliefs. His plan was to bring willingly cede some of the liberals to Washington, but attract people who would have voted republican but don’t really care about the size of government. It wasn’t working. It turned out that the people of America were more divided than he believed.

John and Alex were having the best time. Alex was thoroughly enjoying their time actually working to make a difference. John was enjoying that too, but was more excited to see Alex having fun.

“John! J!”

John looked up from his sketchbook to see Alex running into the hotel room.

“What is it, baby girl?”

Alex blushed a little before replying, and John felt a rush of affection for the fact that the nickname still elicited the same effect.

“I’ve been asked to write something for the campaign!”

“Really? That’s amazing!” John put the sketchbook aside and patted the space of the bed next to him. He grinned as Alex practically bounded across the room and jumped next to him.

“Yeah! I mean, it’s nothing big. It’s not a big speech or anything, but it’s still great to show that I didn’t just spend my entire time in the White House doing nothing.”

“It’s amazing, babe. What is it?”

“So, at some point within the first month or so of the primaries, the candidates will all get asked why they want to be President. It’s an inevitability. I’ve been asked to write George’s answer, because apparently one of the republicans got asked, they fluffed the answer, and then we realised we don’t have an answer.”

“That’s slightly problematic.”

“It is, but yours truly is on it.”

John leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to Alex’s lips. Alex smiled for a second and then reached into his backpack beside the bed and pulled out his MacBook. John moved away from his place at the head of the bed and waited for Alex to sit in his previous spot.

“Where are you going?” asked Alex, an eyebrow raised.

John positioned himself so that he was sat cross-legged, mirroring Alex, their knees pushed together. He then sat up slightly to press a kiss to Alex’s forehead, assuring him silently that he wasn’t going anywhere. Alex looked up, blushing, and smiled before turning his attention to the screen.

John turned from the drawing he was working on – yet another turtle – to a fresh page and started to sketch an outline of his boyfriend. He’d drawn him before, one more detailed study when he’d asked Alex to sit, but mostly small sketches of moments he couldn’t resist capturing. There were a few rough drawings of the younger man with his head thrown back in laughter, and some where he was worrying his lip between his teeth.

“What is George’s answer?” asked John after about ten minutes of silence.

“Someone’s gotta do it. Nah, I’m joking. He understands that the country needs someone to be blamed for victories and losses, and he is willing to continue to be that person. He wants the USA to succeed in creating a freer society for its people, as well as others around the world. Building relations with other countries is extremely important to him, but most of all: he loves doing what he’s doing. I mean, I’ll beef it up a bit but that’s the essence of it.”

“Brilliant. You were born to do this.”

“Good. Because it’s what I want to do. I think I would have liked to be President, not going to lie, but alas I wasn’t born here.”

“You would have been amazing.”

“And you’d have made an incredible First Lady.”

“Alexander, are you suggesting that we’re going to get married?”

“If George can deliver on his campaign promise, then we’ll see.”

“Okay. I hope that you get someone in that office.”

“Me too.”

They fell back into a comfortable silence and John continued to draw. After about twenty minutes the furious tapping of Alex’s keyboard stopped and John looked up.

“Finished?”

“The first draft. I’m gonna email it to George to get his opinion.”

“Great. Tell G. Wash I say hi.”

“I can’t decide whether I love or hate the fact that you call him G. Wash.”

“You love it. At least he likes me!”

“He loves you, J. I love you.”

“I love you too. And I love G. Wash.”

“You’re a dick.”

“Stop thinking about my dick whilst you’re emailing G. Wash.”

Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them, finished the email and closed the laptop. John closed his sketchbook. Once Alex had placed the MacBook aside, John surged forwards and captured the man’s lips in a kiss. He placed his hands either side of Alex and untangled his legs from their crossed position, holding himself up to allow Alex to do the same.

“You know what I’m thinking?”

Alex pulled away and raised an eyebrow, smirking. He placed his leg purposefully between John’s legs.

“I have an idea, yeah.”

John scoffed at the answer and pulled him back into the kiss. He undid the tie that Alex was wearing and, before they went any further, got up and went to the door.

“Dude? What the fuck?” complained Alex.

John opened the door, hung the tie on the handle, closed the door and winked.

“Oh, so we’re in college now?”

“I mean, technically if you hadn’t decided to do college so quickly, you would still be.”

“Touché.”

“Just, accept it. No one’s gonna disturb us now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry its been a few days! It's been a stressful few days.   
> Some good news though! I'm just over a tenth of the way to the cost of the trip to Swaziland and Mozambique next year!  
> I still have a long way to go though, and any donations would be highly appreciated. I would be willing to write oneshots etc. in exchange!   
> Whilst I'm in these countries I will be spending time building school rooms/water pumps etc. in local communities so don't worry, I'm not just asking for money so I can go on holiday.   
> PayPal: catletley@gmail.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit it's been a while I'm sorry. Check the notes at the end of the chapter for an explanation if you want one.

 

Angelica basically crawled into the Oval Office for the senior staff briefing. She was exhausted. As much as she adored her job, a little, selfish part of her had prayed that the President wouldn’t run for a second term so that she could avoid the all too stressful experience that was a Presidential campaign.

The press had been more ravenous than ever since the beginning of the campaign, even if the story had nothing to do with the White House.

“Are you okay, Angelica?” asked the booming but concerned voice of George Washington.

Angelica blinked slowly, trying to focus her eyes to look at the President. “Yes, sir. I’m fine; I’m just tired.”

“Mm. I think we all forgot just how tiring this was going to be.”

“No, sir. We all remembered. I think it’s you who forgot.”

“We’re all in this together, Miss Schuyler. You shouldn’t have been such a great member of my administration over the past few years if you wanted out.”

“I could never want out, sir. I’m just tired.”

George nodded at his press secretary and turned to face the rest of the staff. “Leo, I want you to keep me updated on the situation in Kabul throughout the day…”

The rest of the meeting went along the same lines, or at least from what Angelica gathered in between zoning out it did. Her eyes had remained focused on a spot of discoloured wood on George’s desk throughout until she heard her name.

“… back to work. Angelica, could you stay behind for a moment please.”

Her head snapped up and she locked eyes with the President. The look of concern on his face caused her stomach to lurch; she hated people worrying about her.

The rest of the senior staff filed out of the office, leaving Angelica alone to cross her arms self-consciously as George looked right through her.

“There would be no shame in taking a couple of days off, Angelica. You’ve been at work every day since we got into office, even before then, since you joined us on the campaign trail. You deserve a vacation.”

“I’m fine, sir. I coped last time.”

“Last time you only had the one thing to focus on; you weren’t actually press secretary yet.”

“Sir, I’m-”

“So tired that you’re falling asleep whilst being addressed by the President of The United States? Yes, I noticed. Angelica you have people working in your department for a reason. They are there to pick up the slack when you need to take a break.”

“But sir, I’ve got so much on my plate.”

“That’s exactly why you need to get away. It’s Thursday. Take a long weekend off. Go upstate for a getaway, sleep for three days straight, I don’t care. Take a break.”

“The administration has so much to-”

“The administration can cope with a few days without you, Angelica, sorry to break it to you. Yes, you are a fundamental part of my team, but if you keep this up you risk becoming a liability. Take a break for all our sakes. You’re so stressed about the campaign, well imagine how much more stressed you’ll be when you have to deal with the fallout of misspeaking in a press briefing because you’re so tired you can’t think straight.”

“But-”

“No more excuses Angelica! Do not let your pride get in the way of my election campaign. I swear to God, if you don’t listen to me and end up slipping catastrophically a few days close to the primary, you won’t have to worry about the fallout. You’ll have to worry about finding a job.”

Angelica’s mouth fell open slightly as she stared at the President in shock. After a few seconds she closed her mouth, swallowed nervously and nodded. “Yes sir. I’ll arrange for someone else to do the briefings until Monday.”

“Close the door on your way out.”

Angelica left the oval office feeling more than a little like a puppy that had been hit over the nose with a newspaper. Of course the President was right; she was being selfish. She wanted to prove that a woman deserved to be in such an important position but now she realised that carrying on as she was wouldn’t achieve that. Eventually the tiredness would cause her to slip up, and then she’d be proving just the opposite. She needed to take a break.

Once she got back to her office, Angelica closed the door and pulled out her phone. She shot a message out to the group chat she hat with her sisters.

_9:03_

_IntenseAndInsane: How do you guys fancy a trip to New York for the weekend?_

_AndPeggy: YES_

_AndPeggy: PLEASE_

_AndPeggy: 11/10_

_ElizaSchuyla: What’s brought this on? You’ve never taken a day off._

_IntenseAndInsane: POTUS thinks I’m damaging myself and thus could damage him because I’m so tired all the time. He insisted I take a break._

_ElizaSchuyla: Oh, Angelica. I do worry about you. I am 100% up for a Schuyler Sister Weekend Away™ though._

_AndPeggy: Hells yeah!_

_IntenseAndInsane: Great! We’re flying tomorrow._

_AndPeggy: 12/10_

_ElizaSchuyla: Works for me! Xoxo_

Angelica smiled to herself and pocketed her phone once more. She sat down at her desk and focused hard on trying to keep her eyes open whilst reading and replying to emails. When a knock on the door woke her up just a few moments later, she realised just how much she needed to take a vacation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically, a load of crap has gone down since I last updated and my life has been kind of all over the place. My mum has been in hospital, I ended up having to sell my laptop so this is written on a phone which is just a nightmare. I've had GCSE's for the past few weeks and obviously I had to study for them which was surprisingly difficult without a laptop. I've also lost the motivation I had for this fic because I know where it's going to end up, I just don't know how to get there. With all of the stress and so little time I've got a major case of writer's block. Also I've still been trying to fundraise for my trip to Swaziland and Mozambique which will involve two weeks of volunteer work. It's £4000 and I need to raise that by next Summer. Before I thought I'd be able to raise like £3500 then just pay the rest, but due to my new financial situation I have to raise every penny so please, if you have even the smallest amount of spare cash, think about donating something? A lot of work went into 'When You Smile, I Fall Apart' and I'm trying with this one so if you think you want to give like 50p based on the enjoyment you've gotten from these fics, or if you want me to write you something specific for a tiny fee that's fine. I know a lot of you won't be in a position to help out and that's fine, but if you can and you want to, my paypal is catletley@gmail.com or I have a GoFundMe campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/c4vz3h-my-world-challenge. thank you all for the lovely comments that have been left since the last chapter went up xoxo

**Author's Note:**

> Did anyone notice anything about the bit after George's announcement???
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> PayPal: catletley@gmail.om


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